Virat Kohli mobbed by fans at Auckland airport after arriving for New Zealand ODI series
Virat Kohli was mobbed by supporters at Auckland airport on Friday, October 30 after arriving to join India’s five-match One-Day international series against New Zealand, which starts at Eden Park on November 4. Despite airport controls, large numbers of fans clustered to take selfies and seek autographs as the batter made his way through the terminal.
Videos circulating on social media showed supporters packed behind barricades, chanting Kohli’s name and holding up phones as he walked toward the exit, while some carried posters wishing him an early happy birthday on November 5. Kohli raised his hands and gestured to the crowd in an attempt to calm the growing excitement. One particular clip posted online captured the congestion inside the terminal as fans tried to get closer for photographs.
A persistent supporter continued calling for an autograph, prompting Kohli to ask her to calm down before signing her poster, and security personnel eventually assisted him in moving through the gathering crowd. Several travellers and team staff were seen making way as the former India captain navigated the packed area. The incidents were among the scenes that greeted his arrival in Auckland.
The 37-year-old joined the Indian squad in New Zealand, with Rohit Sharma having arrived in Auckland a day earlier. Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill has also joined the squad and stepped up his preparations in the nets ahead of the opening fixture.
Kohli arrives in the series on the back of India’s 2-1 ODI victory over the West Indies earlier this month, where he began the assignment with an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls and became only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to cross 15,000 runs in ODI cricket. He followed that innings with a score of 29 in the second match and was dismissed for a golden duck in the series finale.
The former India captain remains the world’s No. 3-ranked ODI batter and holds a noted record in New Zealand, having scored 596 runs in 13 innings at an average of 49.66 and a strike rate of 91.41. His returns in the country include four half-centuries and one century, a 123 off 111 balls against New Zealand in Napier in 2014.
India have announced two separate squads for the five-match series, with Gill leading the side in the first three ODIs and Shreyas Iyer taking over for the final two. Gill, KL Rahul, Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna are among those expected to leave the ODI squad to prepare for the subsequent two-Test series, although Krishna’s participation depends on clearing a fitness test.
The ODI series opens at Eden Park on November 4 and will move to Wellington and Hamilton, with the final two matches scheduled in Mount Maunganui.
